Even though Lucius had fully understood Ghetsis's intentions, he made no move to stop him. Humans fighting Pokémon wasn't necessarily a bad thing—not from Lucius's perspective.
Hive's core mission had never truly been about "world peace," nor about upholding humanity's dominance over Pokémon. Its purpose was to collect genetic material—and reshape the balance of power.
Lucius redirected the virus's function from infiltration to devouring.
The Leviathan Virus was at its most powerful when consuming all things. The golden halo that protected Goodshow was simply another form of energy—and energy could be devoured.
Countless serpent- and dragon-like microorganisms opened their gaping maws, tearing into the golden aura with ravenous hunger. To Lucius's satisfaction, although the golden aura couldn't be penetrated directly, it could be devoured.
"This afternoon, I'll be signing the document making Hive one of the League's highest-authority divisions," said President Goodshow with startling calm, despite his protective energy being consumed by viruses. "But I have a condition."
"What's the condition?" Lucius was utterly unbothered by the prospect of Hive being officially recognized. At this point, denying Hive legitimacy within the Pokémon League would be tantamount to fracturing the League itself.
Goodshow knew full well that many of the League's top officials had already secretly joined Hive—especially the Champions and Elites who commanded immense power. Forcing those individuals to oppose the League would be a foolish gamble.
"Team Plasma will be handled entirely by the League. Hive is not to interfere," said Goodshow firmly, eyes narrowing as he added, "Withdraw all infected entities from Unova."
Lucius's pupils contracted. Hive's viral infection origins were still a tightly guarded secret, especially after the Sunburst Island Incident and the public's rising fear.
Being infected was the first requirement to join Hive. And the most sacred rule of Hive was: no infected individual may reveal their condition—because the Emperor Strain would know immediately.
Due to the Emperor Strain's absolute control over all infected, Lucius believed no member would dare expose themselves. So how had Goodshow found out? Had he bypassed Lucius's surveillance somehow?
"You seem surprised," Goodshow said with a soft chuckle. His snowy white beard trembled slightly. "There are no secrets in this world. Especially when the gods are watching."
Gods?
Lucius's mind raced. Was Goodshow already allied with Lugia and Dialga?
Why else would he demand Hive's withdrawal from Unova? Was he secretly supporting Ghetsis and the Team Plasma? But what would he gain from backing them? Would the rest of the League even agree?
Lucius had to admit—Goodshow, as the League's supreme leader and the world's most powerful man—had delivered more surprises today than ever before.
"And if I refuse?" Lucius asked, a faint smile curling on his lips.
"Then it seems," Goodshow replied calmly, "the League and Hive will go to war."
He said it like he was discussing a chess match.
Lucius had arrived on the Indigo Plateau today aboard Rayquaza, his intent clear: to show strength and intimidate the League's leadership—especially Goodshow.
Hive didn't just command Rayquaza and Kyogre. It had the backing of at least seven or eight Champions-level trainers. Yet Goodshow talked of war with such casual detachment.
Would he really rely on just the Four Swords of Justice? Was the old man bluffing? Or did he have another trump card?
Lucius narrowed his eyes, focusing on directing the virus swarm to devour the golden aura shielding Goodshow. Each virus that absorbed the radiant energy began to glow faintly—imbued with invisible golden light, becoming exponentially stronger.
And yet, no matter how much they consumed, the golden aura never diminished. It was as though the energy had a source—endless and self-replenishing.
Lucius went silent, using the pause to probe deeper with his spirit form, detaching it from his body.
From his spirit's perspective, he could clearly see a golden filament beneath the egg-shaped shield. It extended downward, into the earth—like a tether connecting to something deeper.
Lucius followed the golden filament down.
One meter. Ten meters. A hundred. A thousand.
His spirit passed easily through the Indigo Plateau—unbound by gravity or matter—but the filament still had no end in sight.
Ten thousand meters. A hundred thousand. A million...
The golden filament stretched deep into the planet's core, beyond the reach of even the most advanced human technology. And still, it continued. Lucius's spirit, despite being empowered by mythical Pokémon, began to feel the strain from being so far from his physical body.
Even so, he pressed forward—deeper down, following the source of the golden power.
Suddenly, light broke through the darkness—Lucius's spirit form pierced the subterranean void and entered a vast ocean of golden energy.
This ocean stretched endlessly, warm and serene, radiating boundless vitality. And yet, Lucius's spiritual presence felt no resistance, as though he were returning to the embrace of a mother.
Drifting through the golden currents, his spirit was infused with and strengthened by this life force.
As he attuned to the seemingly infinite wellspring of power, Lucius caught a glimpse—far off in the infinite horizon of this golden sea—of a circular structure wrapped around a luminous cross…
So that's what it is.
In the next instant, his spirit transcended space and returned to the Indigo Plateau, merging seamlessly back with his conscious self.
"Since the Chairman has made his position clear, then the issue with Team Plasma will be left to your discretion," Lucius paused briefly, then continued. "If you require Hive's assistance during the process, we'll give it our all."
Goodshow nodded with a faint smile, as though Lucius's decision had unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.
With the agreement settled, Lucius turned and exited the conference room.
What Goodshow knew about the virus had far exceeded Lucius's expectations. Just moments ago, Lucius had tested whether the virus could breach the protective energy surrounding Goodshow—his decision to accept the proposal hinged entirely on that outcome.
If the virus had broken through, it would've proven that Goodshow posed no real threat. Once Lucius aligned with Hive, agreeing or disagreeing with the terms would've been inconsequential.
But since it couldn't, it meant the entity backing Goodshow was beyond what even the Leviathan Virus could confront. And with Hive and the Pokémon League currently in a state of balance, there was no reason to spark a war.
Moreover, from the nature of Goodshow's protective energy, it was evident that the power supporting him wasn't tied to Lugia, so Lucius had no concerns about factions within the League colluding with Mythical Pokémon in Unova to move against Hive. If anything, letting those sides exhaust each other wasn't such a bad outcome.
Leaving the Indigo Plateau, Lucius used pheromone signals to issue an order to the infected cells still in Unova—retreat immediately and disperse to Kalos and Alola.
This order specifically targeted members of the Syndicate. After returning, Dolores had successfully infected and absorbed nearly the entire Syndicate leadership into Hive's ranks.
There was little left for them to do in Unova. Expanding into Kalos and Alola would serve them just as well.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/Madbot635 [remove the parentheses ( )]